Serbia on the route of gas pipeline "Beli tok"

- Serbia may get another alternative gas supply route, of which functioning would not be influenced by Russian-Ukrainian disputes. It would satisfy annual needs of the country to a nice extent - said Bratislav Čeperković, the President of the Administrative Board of "Transnafta".

Čeperković explained for today’s issue of Novi Sad’s newspaper "Dnevnik" that it was gas pipeline "Beli tok", which should go beneath the surface of the Black Sea, connect Georgia with Romanian port of Konstanza, and deliver gas from Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and later from Kazakhstan.

- The existing project plan for construction of gas pipeline 920 km long beneath the surface of the Black Sea should be extended from Konstanza to Trieste, which means that the gas pipeline would run parallel with the anticipated oil pipeline between Romania and Italian port, via Serbia and Croatia - said Čeperković.

He added that the European Commission offered the international company that is in charge of construction of Pan-European oil pipeline Konstanza-Trieste to build gas pipeline on the same route, and in return, the European Commission would finance the design of feasibility study and other technical steps that would create conditions for construction of aforementioned gas pipeline.

Čeperković said that the advantage of "Beli tok" lay in the fact that it could be put in operation at least two years before the opening of "Južni tok" and "Nabuko".

He said that "Beli tok" was compatible with both "Južni tok" and "Nabuko", that is, it would not endanger their realization because it would not use the same gas deposits.

So far, Serbia, Italy, Romania and Croatia have taken part in the planning of Pan-European oil pipeline Konstanza-Trieste, and it is possible that Slovenia will join them later.

Transnafta ad Pančevo

Delegacija Evropske unije u Republici Srbiji Beograd

Bratislav Čeperković

gas pipeline Beli tok

the BLack Sea

Konstanza

Trieste

Južni tok

Nabuko